I'm sure there has been a slight decline, but the game is still healthy. In no way, shape or form is it dying.

That said, I think a lot of upper-midcore/hardcore players are having a rough time right now because they're realizing this game might not be for them -- and that's gotta be a tough realization for anyone who has spent so much time on it.

This thread is essentially a handful of people who want the game's core progression to be changed from vertical to horizontal, and that ain't happening. Not now, not at the expansion, not ever.

Yeah, my inner hardcore player would be delighted if the game went more horizontal, but I've still got FFXI for that. Meanwhile, I've got FFXIV as my game that I can keep up with without having to play for several hours per day. From very early on, Yoshi-P made it clear that FFXIV was designed for players like me. Why would SE change the formula now, especially when it's working?